Connection
by QueenyLeAcH
Summary: Amu is an expressionless highschooler. She has taken on a personality worse than 'Cool and Spicy' and she carries it home. When Ikuto comes back he convinces Amu to talk to her inner selves. What is their connection? Read to find out.


**Reader: LeAcH, what do you think you're doing? You just put three stories on hiatus.**

**LeAcH: Come on. It's just a one-shot.**

**Reader: Next time work on one of your paused stories if you are bored with you current one.**

**LeAcH: Aye, sir.**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! That never happens. ^^**

Connection

Amu POV

The day was cloudy and the air smelled of rain. I ran to school, hoping to outrun the water. I slowed a little way from the the gates. I forced my breathing to slow as I entered the school grounds and made my way to the front doors.

I heard whispers behind me. The hushed tones weren't very quiet. I heard my nickname, "The Stingray" more than once. It made even less sense than being "Cool and Spicy" like I was in elementary. I sighed at their miniscule imaginations.

Then the rain started pouring, causing the students to make a beeline for the front doors. I stepped out of the way, so I would not be trampled underfoot.

I made my way into the school and up the stairs to my classroom. I entered just before the bell rang and listened to my classmates gossip and make plans. I feverantly wished I could join them, but I didn't. Somehow, I had covered myself in an unbreakable shell just before middle school, and because of it the other students had been to afraid to speak to me. I carried this persona into high school.

I put my chin in the palm of my hand and tried to ignore my classmates. I watched the water droplets race each other down the glass of the window.

I heard my name called by an unfamiliar voice. I turned to the substitute and raised my hand and he continued on. I studied the man. His indigo eyes and hair was incredibly set off by the black suit he was wearing.

Something about him struck me as familiar, even though I've never seen him before. I fingered the crystal lock that hung around my neck while the sub tried to teach us. Eventually, the bell rang for lunch. The students wasted no time dispersing.

On a normal day they would head to the roof, but the rain prevented this. I guessed that they had gone down to the cafeteria or to another classroom. A few stragglers huddled in the corner, whispering.

I directed my attention out the window, once again, when the door slid open. I assumed the substitute was heading out. I was proved wrong when his voice rang out, greeting the newcomer. Whoever he was speaking to remained silent.

The chair in front of me screeched back and was soon occupied by the newcomer. From the corner of my eye I was able to see his royal blue hair. "Daydreaming?" he chuckled. The young man started to snap his fingers in front of my face. "Come back to Earth now."

I turned to the blue haired boy and subjected him to the full force of my glare. He didn't even flinch. "If I wish to daydream, then I will daydream. Staying Earthbound every second of every day is not going to happen anytime soon," I snapped, while still remaining a bored tone. The whispering in the corner stopped abruptly.

"Are you still keeping the 'Cool and Spicy' persona? I figured you dropped it when you joined Tadase's Guardians," the boy stated. Something on his wrist glittered in the dim light. My eyes flitted to the object, seeing the Dumpty Key.

My unseen annoyance was quickly replaced with bubbling anger. "How would you know? You haven't bothered speaking with me in three years." The whispers started again.

I closed my eyes and tried to compose myself. "Amu," Ikuto said, trying to sound seductive, just as he used to. But I could hear the worry buried in his tone. I sighed.

"When do you leave again?"

"I don't." My eyes snapped open and I resisted the urge to jump him**(As in hug him, you perverts.) **in my ecstasy. He looked disappointed. "Awww, Amu. I thought you would at least smile. Unless you don't like me anymore."

I leaned forward. "Ikuto." The whispers grew louder. From my place across the room I was able to make out a few of the words. 'Honorifics' and 'lovers' among them. I stood and marched over to the corner. The students tried to become invisible. You'd think I was a dangerous delinquent.

I grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it behind me. I spun it around so that it was in front of me and I sat. "So, what would you like to know?"

The kids stared at me, baffled. On of them – a girl with violet hair – was the first to respond to my sudden question. "Why don't you and Tskuyomi-sensei's son use honorifics?"

"We never really did. Next question."

"Why?" another of the girls asked – this one with brown hair.

I bit my lip. How do I explain … everything? Luckily Ikuto saved me. "She had a friend that I wasn't on good terms with, so I saw her as an enemy for awhile."

"Not to mention you were working for Easter." He nodded my head in agreement.

"How were you two able to become friends?" the first girl piped.

"We kept running into each other. Next," I said. I tucked a few locks of pink hair behind my ear and adjusted myself on the wooden seat. More students began to file in.

One of the two boys asked the next question. "What was wrong with Easter?"

"They were looking for something, and my friends didn't approve of their methods."

"Care to elaborate?" a girl with enormous glasses asked, pushing a voice recorder at me.

I batted the microphone away. "No." The girl tried to protest, but the bell rang. The rest of my classmates rushed in and Ikuto made his way out, assuring me he would find me later.

The afternoon was filled with curious glances and written conversation. Absolutely no one paid Tskuyomi-sensei any mind. Eventually, he zoomed through the rest of the forgotten lesson and let the class talk.

xXx

Finally, class ended, and with it the relentless questioning of my classmates. I tried to answer them all, but they were talking so fast it was like I wasn't even there.

I ran out of the room and hid in the deserted cafeteria while the school emptied. Once the coast was clear I made my way to the lockers, cautiously.

"Hinamori-san?" The voice stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and saw the lithe form of Aruto Tskuyomi. I mumbled some sort of greeting. He smiled brightly. "I hadn't expected you to be here so late. Are you in any of the clubs?"

"No," I said. Inside I was embarrassed, but the fact that I was still on school grounds kept my 'Stingray' persona up. "I was hiding so I wouldn't be interrogated again."

The man laughed. "Understandable. Ikuto-kun sure did cause quite the stir, didn't he?"

I grabbed my black shoes from my locker, replacing them with the white ones, and slipped them on. "Speaking of Ikuto," I said. "How did he find you?"

Aruto-san waved me toward the doors before answering. "I was in America, teaching math to high schoolers, when Ikuto-kun … Well when I stumbled across him, playing on a street corner. The melody was so hopeful, I couldn't help but stop to listen.

"When he finished he packed up his instrument. I recognized my beauty, of course, but it was the glint of the Dumpty Key on his wrist that convinced me to follow him. I watched him give me the money he earned playing to a homeless shelter, pet a stray cat, and stop in a park. The area was all but deserted, so I couldn't understand why he paused. Until he pulled out his violin and started to play.

"That song carried many emotions: sorrow, hope, regret, uncertainty. But in his eyes I saw love. It was child's play to see that the song was composed for a girl. Afterward I talked to him, and learned who he was. Then, after a fair amount of begging, I agreed to return to Japan."

By the time he had finished his tale we were at a crosswalk, and the light was glowing a steady red. "Where are you headed?" I asked.

"I'm counting on Ikuto-kun trying to surprise you by showing up at your house." My face turned skyward in exasperation because I knew he was right. "So I'm following you. That way I don't have to search for him later."

We walked the last few blocks in silence. When we got to the gate in front of my house Aruto-san stopped. "You coming?"

"Not the best idea. I'll wait here for Ikuto-kun." I turned away and started walking to the door. My hand was on the knob when he said, "And, Hinamori-san?" I turned back. "Thank you. I'm certain Ikuto-kun would never have become the man that he is today without your influence."

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. "Don't be so sure. You have a strong son." Aruto-san nodded and I walked through the door. "I'm home!" I called.

My mother's voice rang from the kitchen. "In here, Amu-chan!" I made my way through the obstacle course in the living room – Ami was becoming quite the artist, so her papers were everywhere – and into the kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen table was my mother and Ikuto. I could see the steam rising from the glass cups in front of them, so Ikuto couldn't have been here for long. I sighed heavily. Aruto-san was spot on.

When I opened my eyes again Ikuto was standing in directly in front of me, barely a foot away. I did my best not to flinch from his sudden appearance, and I succeeded, for once. "Your dad's waiting for you outside."

Ikuto couldn't respond, because right at that moment, my father walked in, guffawing with Aruto-san. "Not anymore," Ikuto chuckled.

"Amu-chan," Papa said, squeezing me in a death grip. Then he motioned in Aruto-san's direction. "This is an old friend of mine from highschool. Although, it seems you've all ready met."

I remained expressionless. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ikuto's worried features. _Why would he be worried? Unless he knows something I don't. _He grabbed my hand, a gesture my father was sure to see. "Let's go for a walk. I want to talk," he said, whispering the last part. The look in Papa's eyes was murderous.

Aruto-san grasped my father's shoulder – probably to hold him back – and nodded his consent. "Don't be long."

"We won't," Ikuto assured him.

xXx

The walk to the park was silent. Ikuto just kept a firm hold on my hand. The sun was bright and warm, but I could smell more rain on the air.

"Amu," Ikuto started. He seemed to be looking for the right words. I scanned his face, trying to figure it out myself. "Amu, you've changed."

"No I -" I started, but Ikuto placed his hands over my mouth, cutting me off.

"You have. When I first met you, you were full of life. No one could convince you to do something you did not believe in completely. That is the Amu I confessed to in the airport. The Amu standing in front of me now is nothing more than a shell of what she once was.

"At first, at the school, I thought the 'Cool and Spicy' routine was because you were timid. Then at your house I saw you do it again and I realized it was the same. You aren't Amu. Not the same one. And I want the old Amu back."

I could hear the truth of his words, but I didn't want to believe it. I knew I had changed. I could see it on my parent's faces too when they looked at me. They were worried.

For the first time in years I wanted to drop the facade. But it was hard. I had forced indifference on myself for so long that I had truly become indifferent.

My vision started to blur and my breathing became shallow. Ikuto pulled me to him. I inhaled his scent – soap and trees – and felt my heart kick into overdrive. I could feel my face heating up, just like it used to. "Ikuto," I whispered into his chest. "I want to turn back the clock."

"Why."

"I don't like who I am now. I hate it. I want to be like I was back then."

Ikuto was quiet for a moment. "Amu, when was the last time you talked to your charas?"

I looked up at him. What does that have to do with our current situation. "First year of middle school. After that they went back into their eggs."

Ikuto pulled me out so that he could see me clearly. He smirked. "Talk to them."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "How am I suppose to do that?"

"How should I put it?" Ikuto looked away, trying to put the words together in his mind. "Listen to your heart," he said, finally.

So I did. I closed my eyes and pictured Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia. The four of them greeted me warmly. "It's so great to see you guys again," I beamed.

"You too, Amu-chan," Ran cheered, while waving her pink pom-poms in the air.

"It's wonderful to talk to you again, Amu-chan. Have you been eating properly?" Suu asked. Always the motherly one.

"I'm doing fine," I promised her.

"Don't lie to yourself, Amu-chan." Dia said. "You've lost your sparkle. How?"

My face fell and my chest became tight. "I don't know."

"Amu-chan, have you been expressing yourself?" Miki pointed out.

I looked at the blue chara curiously. "Expressing myself?"

"You know. Being your true self, and expressing your feelings. Like through art, music, dance, cooking."

"Like you guys?"

"Exactly. We were originally born from your desire to express yourself to others," Dia explained.

I smiled at the little yellow girl. "Yeah. My desire to fit in." The smile faded. "And I just became what I was expected to be. Not who I wanted to be."

"Then be who you want to be ~ desu. Go to school tomorrow and show your true colors," Suu said, her infectious smile plastered on her face.

My spirits rose and the corners of my mouth were tugged upward. I wanted to gather the small girls in my arms, but seeing as how we were in my imagination it was impossible. I settled for blowing kisses their way and promising I would do better.

"Do your best, Amu-chan," Ran chanted.

I opened my eyes, smiling. The action was almost foreign to my face. As the tingling feeling in the back of my head faded my honey-gold found Ikuto's sapphire. He pecked me on the cheek and I wrapped my arms around him. I knew who I wanted to be. The only person I can be. The only person who will cut it.

Me.

**I turned 7 pages written and made 4 pages typed. GO ME! **

**So how did you like it? I tried to make Amu as dry as I could so that the chara revelation was even more epic. And please don't ask me where the 'Stingray' came from, because I don't remember.**

**REVIEW! I beg you.**

**-LeAcH**


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